- Frodo: I wish the ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened.
- Gandalf: So do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us. There are other forces at work in this world Frodo, besides the will of evil. Bilbo was meant to find the Ring. In which case, you were also meant to have it. And that is an encouraging thought.
- [Gandalf is standing on the bridge, in front of the Balrog]
- Gandalf: You cannot pass! I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the Flame of Anor. The dark fire will not avail you, Flame of Udun! Go back to the shadow. You shall not pass!
- Sam: I made a promise, Mr Frodo. A promise. "Don't you leave him Samwise Gamgee." And I don't mean to. I don't mean to.
- Frodo: [of Gollum] It's a pity Bilbo didn't kill him when he had the chance.
- Gandalf: Pity? It was pity that stayed Bilbo's hand. Many that live deserve death. Some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them, Frodo? Do not be too eager to deal out death in judgment. Even the very wise cannot see all ends. My heart tells me that Gollum has some part to play yet, for good or ill before this is over. The pity of Bilbo may rule the fate of many.
- Bilbo: [to his party guests] I don't know half of you half as well as I should like, and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve.
- Aragorn: Gentlemen, we do not stop 'til nightfall.
- Pippin: What about breakfast?
- Aragorn: You've already had it.
- Pippin: We've had one, yes. What about second breakfast?
- [Aragorn turns and walks away]
- Merry: I don't think he knows about second breakfast, Pip.
- Pippin: What about elevenses? Luncheon? Afternoon tea? Dinner? Supper? He knows about them, doesn't he?
- Merry: I wouldn't count on it.
- Galadriel: [from prologue] It all began with the forging of the Great Rings. Three were given to the Elves; immortal, wisest and fairest of all beings. Seven, to the Dwarf Lords, great miners and craftsmen of the mountain halls. And nine, nine rings were gifted to the race of Men, who above all else desire power. For within these rings was bound the strength and the will to govern over each race. But they were all of them deceived, for another ring was made. In the land of Mordor, in the fires of Mount Doom, the Dark Lord Sauron forged in secret, a master ring, to control all others. And into this ring he poured all his cruelty, his malice and his will to dominate all life. One ring to rule them all. One by one, the free peoples of Middle Earth fell to the power of the Ring. But there were some who resisted. A last alliance of men and elves marched against the armies of Mordor, and on the very slopes of Mount Doom, they fought for the freedom of Middle-Earth. Victory was near, but the power of the ring could not be undone. It was in this moment, when all hope had faded, that Isildur, son of the king, took up his father's sword. And Sauron, enemy of the free peoples of Middle-Earth, was defeated. The Ring passed to Isildur, who had this one chance to destroy evil forever, but the hearts of men are easily corrupted. And the ring of power has a will of its own. It betrayed Isildur, to his death. And some things that should not have been forgotten were lost. History became legend. Legend became myth. And for two and a half thousand years, the ring passed out of all knowledge. Until, when chance came, the ring ensnared a new bearer. The ring came to the creature Gollum, who took it deep into the tunnels under the Misty Mountains, and there it consumed him. The ring gave to Gollum unnatural long life. For five hundred years it poisoned his mind; and in the gloom of Gollum's cave, it waited. Darkness crept back into the forests of the world. Rumor grew of a shadow in the East, whispers of a nameless fear, and the Ring of Power perceived. Its time had now come. It abandoned Gollum. But then something happened that the Ring did not intend. It was picked up by the most unlikely creature imaginable. A Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, of the Shire. For the time will soon come when Hobbits will shape the fortunes of all...
- Boromir: One does not simply walk into Mordor. Its Black Gates are guarded by more than just Orcs. There is evil there that does not sleep, and the Great Eye is ever watchful. It is a barren wasteland, riddled with fire and ash and dust, the very air you breathe is a poisonous fume. Not with ten thousand men could you do this. It is folly.
- [first lines]
- Galadriel: The world is changed. I feel it in the water. I feel it in the earth. I smell it in the air. Much that once was is lost, for none now live who remember it. It began with the forging of the Great Rings. Three were given to the Elves, immortal, wisest and fairest of all beings. Seven to the Dwarf lords, great miners and craftsmen of the mountain halls. And nine, nine rings were gifted to the race of Men, who, above all else, desire power. But they were, all of them, deceived, for another ring was made. In the land of Mordor, in the fires of Mount Doom, the Dark Lord Sauron forged in secret a Master Ring, to control all others. And into this ring he poured his cruelty, his malice and his will to dominate all life. One Ring to rule them all!
- Arwen: Do you remember when we first met?
- Aragorn: I thought I had wandered into a dream.
- Arwen: Long years have passed. You did not have the cares you carry now. Do you remember what I told you?
- Aragorn: You said you'd bind yourself to me, forsaking the immortal life of your people.
- Arwen: And to that I hold. I would rather share one lifetime with you than face all the ages of this world alone.
- [hands him her pendant]
- Arwen: I choose a mortal life.
- Aragorn: You cannot give me this.
- Arwen: It is mine to give to whom I will. Like my heart.
- Galadriel: I know what it is you saw, for it is also in my mind.
- [telepathically]
- Galadriel: It is what will come to pass, If you should fail. The Fellowship is breaking, it has already begun. He will try to take the Ring, you know of whom I speak. One by one, it will destroy them.
- Frodo: [telepathically] If you ask it of me, I will give you the One Ring.
- Galadriel: You offer it to me freely? I do not deny that my heart has greatly desired this.
- [starts to grow dark]
- Galadriel: In place of a Dark Lord you would have a Queen! Not dark but beautiful and terrible as the Dawn! Treacherous as the Seas! Stronger than the foundations of the Earth! All shall love me and despair!
- [she stops]
- Galadriel: I have passed the test. I will diminish, and go into the West, and remain Galadriel.
- Frodo: I cannot do this alone.
- Galadriel: You are a Ring-bearer, Frodo. To bear a Ring of Power is to be alone.
- [pulls out her hand]
- Galadriel: This is Nenya, the Ring of Adamant. And I am its keeper. This task was appointed to you, and if you do not find a way, no one will.
- Frodo: I know what I must do, it's just that... I'm afraid to do it.
- Galadriel: Even the smallest person can change the course of the future.
- Sam: This is it.
- Frodo: This is what?
- Sam: If I take one more step, it'll be the farthest away from home I've ever been.
- Frodo: Come on, Sam. Remember what Bilbo used to say: "It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to."
- Gandalf: My dear Frodo. Hobbits really are amazing creatures. You can learn all there is to know about their ways in a month, and yet after a hundred years they can still surprise you.
- Elrond: His strength returns.
- Gandalf: That wound will never fully heal. He will carry it the rest of his life.
- Elrond: And yet, to have come so far, still bearing the Ring, the Hobbit has shown extraordinary resilience to its evil.
- Gandalf: It is a burden he should never have had to bear. We can ask no more of Frodo.
- Elrond: Gandalf, the enemy is moving. Sauron's forces are massing in the East; his eye is fixed on Rivendell. And Saruman, you tell me, has betrayed us. Our list of allies grows thin.
- Gandalf: His treachery runs deeper than you know. By foul craft, Saruman has crossed Orcs with goblin men. He's breeding an army in the caverns of Isengard. An army that can move in sunlight and cover great distance at speed. Saruman is coming for the Ring.
- Elrond: This evil cannot be concealed by the power of the Elves. We do not have the strength to withstand both Mordor and Isengard. Gandalf, the Ring cannot stay here. This evil belongs to all of Middle-Earth. They must decide now how to end it. The time of the Elves is over, my people are leaving these shores. Who will you look to when we've gone? The Dwarves? They toil away in caverns, seeking riches. They care nothing for the troubles of others.
- Gandalf: It is in Men that we must place our hope.
- Elrond: Men? Men are weak. The Blood of Numenor is all but spent, its pride and dignity forgotten. It is because of Men the Ring survives. I was there, Gandalf. I was there three thousand years ago. I was there the day the strength of Men failed.
- Elrond: [scene switches to a flashback of Elrond and Isildur] Isildur, hurry, follow me.
- Elrond: [voiceover] I led Isildur deep into the fires of Mount Doom, where the Ring was forged, the one place it could be destroyed.
- Elrond: Cast it into the fire! Destroy it!
- Isildur: No.
- [walks away]
- Elrond: Isildur!
- [cuts back to present]
- Elrond: Isildur kept the Ring. It should have ended that day, but evil was allowed to endure. There's no strength left in the world of Men. They're scattered, divided, leaderless.
- Gandalf: There is one who could unite them. One who could reclaim the throne of Gondor.
- Elrond: He turned from that path a long time ago. He has chosen exile.
- [holding the Ring out to Frodo after dropping it in the fire]
- Gandalf: Hold out your hand, Frodo. It's quite cool.
- [drops the Ring into Frodo's palm]
- Gandalf: What can you see? Can you see anything?
- Frodo: [twists and turns the Ring amongst his fingers] Nothing. There's nothing.
- [Gandalf sighs in relief]
- Frodo: Wait.
- [markings on the Ring glow bright orange]
- Frodo: There are markings. It's some form of Elvish.
- [shakes his head]
- Frodo: I can't read it.
- Gandalf: There are few who can. The language is that of Mordor, which I will not utter here.
- [turns to face Frodo]
- Frodo: Mordor?
- Gandalf: In the Common Tongue, it says: "One Ring to rule them all. One Ring to find them. One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them."
- Boromir: My father is a noble man, but his rule is failing, and our people lose faith. He looks to me to make things right and I would do it. I would see the glory of Gondor restored. Have you ever seen it, Aragorn? The White Tower of Ecthelion, glimmering like a spike of pearl and silver, its banners caught high in the morning breeze. Have you ever been called home by the clear ringing of silver trumpets?
- Aragorn: I have seen the White City, long ago.
- Boromir: One day, our paths will lead us there. And the tower guard shall take up the call: "The Lords of Gondor have returned."
- Frodo: Before you came along, we Bagginses were very well thought of.
- Gandalf: Indeed?
- Frodo: Never had any adventures or did anything unexpected.
- Gandalf: If you're referring to the incident with the Dragon, I was barely involved. All I did was give your uncle a little nudge out of the door.
- Frodo: Whatever you did, you've been officially labeled a disturber of the peace.
- Legolas: Hurry! Frodo and Sam have reached the eastern shore.
- [Aragorn does not move]
- Legolas: You mean not to follow them.
- Aragorn: Frodo's fate is no longer in our hands.
- Gimli: Then it has all been in vain. The fellowship has failed.
- Aragorn: Not if we hold true to each other.
- [pause]
- Aragorn: We will not abandon Merry and Pippin to torment and death. Not while we have strength left. Leave all that can be spared behind. We travel light. Let's hunt some Orc.
- Gimli: YES!
- [Boromir picks up the One Ring after Frodo had lost it]
- Boromir: It is a strange fate that we should suffer so much fear and doubt over so small a thing. Such a little thing.
- [Gandalf picks up a book that the skeleton of a Dwarf was holding]
- Legolas: [to Aragorn] We must move on, we cannot linger.
- Gandalf: [starts reading from the book] They have taken the bridge and the second hall. We have barred the gates but cannot hold them for long. The ground shakes, drums... drums in the deep. We cannot get out. A shadow lurks in the dark. We can not get out... they are coming.
- Bilbo: I'm old, Gandalf. I know I don't look it, but I'm beginning to feel it in my heart. I feel... thin. Sort of stretched, like... butter scraped over too much bread. I need a holiday. A very long holiday. And I don't expect I shall return. In fact I mean not to.
- Bilbo: [voice] It's a dangerous business, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to.
- Gimli: [upon leaving Lorien and Galadriel] I have been dealt a wound beyond all healing, for I have looked the last... upon that which was fairest.
- [sighs]
- Gimli: Henceforth I will call nothing fair unless it be her gift to me.
- Legolas: What was it?
- Gimli: I asked for one hair from her golden head... she gave me three.
- Gandalf: There is one other who knew Bilbo had the Ring. I looked everywhere for the creature Gollum, but the enemy found him first. I don't know how long they tortured him, but through the endless screams and inane babble, they discerned two words:
- Gollum: SHIRE! BAGGINS!
- Frodo: Shire? Baggins? But that would lead them here!
- [Cuts to a Ringwraith cutting off a Hobbit's head]
- Frodo: [holding out the Ring] Take it Gandalf!
- [Gandalf backs away]
- Frodo: Take it!
- Gandalf: No, Frodo.
- Frodo: You must take it!
- Gandalf: You cannot offer me this ring!
- Frodo: I'm giving it to you!
- Gandalf: Don't... tempt me Frodo! I dare not take it. Not even to keep it safe. Understand, Frodo. I would use this ring from a desire to do good... But through me, it would wield a power too great and terrible to imagine.
- Frodo: But it cannot stay in the Shire!
- Gandalf: No. No, it can't.
- Frodo: What must I do?
- Galadriel: [from prologue] For the time would soon come when Hobbits would shape the fortunes of all.
- Saruman: [voiceover] Moria... You fear to go into those mines. The Dwarves delved too greedily and too deep. You know what they awoke in the darkness of Khazad-dum... shadow and flame.